Cherry Compote

While I was in the supermarket yesterday, I bought a huge bag of Washington red cherries. They only seemed to come in a pack that weighed about 2-3 pounds, so I started wondering what I could do with them to make a refreshing summer dessert, and decided on this simple Cherry Compote.

Cherries, like most other soft fruit have a very short season. To enjoy them at their best they should be served as simply as possible, so their unique flavor will not be spoilt. For a more economical version of this recipe, omit the red wine and use water instead.

Ingredients

• 1/4 pint red wine
• Approximately 2 ounces caster sugar
• 1 1/2 pounds fresh cherries, stoned
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 teaspoons arrowroot

Method

1. Put the red wine and sugar in a saucepan and heat gently until the sugar dissolves.
   
2. Add the cherries to the pan with the cinnamon stick and a little water if the sugar syrup does not quite cover the cherries.
3. Simmer the cherries very gently for 8 to 10 minutes or until just soft, being careful not to overcook.
   
4. Take the pan off the heat, and taste for sweetness, and add more sugar, if necessary.
5. Dissolve the arrowroot in a little water then stir into the pan.
6. Return to the heat and bring slowly to he boil, stirring constantly. The juices should be thick and syrupy.
7. Discard the cinnamon stick and transfer the compote to a serving bowl. Serve hot or cold.

This dessert is especially good with vanilla ice cream.

Blue Salvia

I have been out of town recently to the New York Fancy Food show and LA Gift Show looking for new products for my Gourmet Fusion store. That was great fun, but when I got back home, my container garden looked the worse for wear! Apart from being really dry, which is easily fixed, everything was being eaten by caterpillars, slugs and a few grasshoppers.

So I salvaged what I could, and headed to the store to buy more plants . Unfortunately, I think the hot, dry weather we have had this last week had taken its toll there as well, and everything looked wilting, dried up or was being attacked by some kind of insect. These blue salvia (sage) did look bright and healthy, so I bought a couple of boxes and headed home to plant them. I am not sure which type of Salvia I have purchased, but it looks like salvia chamaedryoides or Germander Sage. The label on my purchase just said Salvia Blue with the description: cool blue flower spikes on compact plants. use in borders, beds, pots. Plant in sun or part sun - grows 12" tall. Here's the more technical approach from the Sunset Western Garden Book for Germander Sage.

Salvia Chamaedryoides Facts

Origin: Perennial from eastern Mexico.
Size: Rounded plant 1-2 feet tall; spreading 2-3 feet by underground runners.
Leaves: Silvery, 3/4-inch long leaves.
Flowers: Brilliant, true blue 1-inch flowers on stems to 8-inch long.
Blooming Season: Heaviest bloom comes in late spring and fall, with intermittent flowering during the rest of the growing season.
Additional Care: Deadhead to encourage rebloom.
Watering: Drought tolerant, but blooms longer and better with more water.

I'm not sure how successful these will be for me, as I've had the red variety before and it seemed to need far too much water for my southern California yard, however, it says these are somewhat drought tolerant, so I might be lucky with the blue. For now they look good anyway!

Caffeine Prevents Twitching Eye

I am a great coffee lover, so it is always great to hear that coffee can potentially do something good for your health, as we are always hearing the negative effects of caffeine on our system.

In a study carried out in Bari Italy, researchers found that drinking coffee could protect against eyelid spasms that in some people leads to blindness. The coffee and smoking habits were looked at for 166 people with blepharospasm which is an uncontrollable twitching of the eye, and in extreme cases, can cause blindness.

At the Department of Neurological and Psychiatric Sciences University of Bari, Italy, a previous study had suggested that smoking had a protective effect on the condition, but in this study it was found that only those who drank coffee were less likely to develop the condition, and one more good thing - the effect was proportional to the amount of coffee drunk. The age that this spasm struck (usually between the ages of 50 and 70) was also found to be greater in patients who drank more coffee and this increased by 1.7 years for each additional cup drunk per day.

Italian research strongly suggested that coffee provided some sort of protective factor, and it was thought that caffeine could be blocking the receptors in the brain associated with the tremor. However, as there was a very low intake of decaffeinated coffee in Italy, no patients who drank decaf could be compared to those who drank caffeinated coffee. I, for one, will continue with my daily dose!

Verbenas

Verbenas are one of the most popular plants for container gardens. They come in a variety of colors inherited from many different types of verbena. Verbena peruviana supplies the red hues, while verbena phlogifolia and verbena incisa contribute to the pink and purple nuances. They grow abundantly in groups of dense umbrella spikes in colors ranging from white through pink, red and purple to blue and violet. They make a spectacular show in containers, in borders or hanging baskets and are relatively easy to care for. The red "Salome" shown in this picture, grows about 12 inches high and has small white eyes.

VerbrnaFacts

• Blooming Season: Outdoors from June to October.
• Family: Verbenaceae (verbena family).
  
• Origin: Original forms, South America.
  
• Location: Sunny.
  
• Potting Soil: All-purpose soil, enriched with slow-release fertilizer.
• Planting: Set young plants 8 inches apart.
• Watering, Feeding: Water abundantly, but avoid standing water. Apply a low dose of fertilizer every two weeks.
  
• Further Care: Deadhead spent flowers regularly.
  
• Pests, Diseases: Aphids, whiteflies, spidermites, thrips, powdery mildew.
• Decorating Tip: The cool tones of verbena look stunning with silvery foliage or flowering plants such as dusty miller.
  

The above information and much more can be found in the very useful book, Container Plants: For Patios, Balconies, and Window Boxes.

What is a Gnudi?

In case you are not in the know, a gnudi is the latest trend in Italian cooking. Gnudi is "nude" in Italian, and is the dish everyone is talking about and trying to order in San Diego restaurants - and with a sexy name like that who wouldn't want to try it?

Well, what is a gnudi? It is actually "naked ravioli", meaning you take the filling out of ravioli - whether it's mushroom and Parmesan, chicken and herb, lobster or beef, and leave off the pasta. This is great news for people like my friend who discovered she was allergic to wheat and had to abandon pasta and bread for good, and spends many tedious visits to restaurants checking on the flour content of food, and asking for burgers without the bun.

If you want to try this delicious concoction, check out the chestnut-butternut squash gnudi with Asian water buffalo ricotta at restaurant 1500 Ocean at the beautiful Hotel Del in Coronado, but if you do go, shirt and shoes are still required!

New Guinea Impatiens (Busy Lizzie)

I've not had to spend too much time in the garden recently, mainly because the weather has been just perfect to keep flowers blooming. Cool and sunny, so there's no scorching sun in the afternoon, and I think we can safely say that the rain is over for this year.

I planted some New Guinea Impatiens a couple of weeks ago, and they are amazing. They are very easy to grow and look spectacular in outdoor landscapes, container gardens like mine, and hanging baskets. These flowers display intensely colored shades of orange, pink and violet. The flower pictured above is called Raspberry Cream.

Impatiens Facts

• Blooming Season: Outdoors from June to October.
  
• Origin: Original forms, tropical East Africa, Sri Lanka, India, and New Guinea.
• Location: Sunny to shady.
• Potting Soil: All-purpose soil, enriched with slow-release fertilizer.
• Planting: Set young plants 8 - 10 inches apart.
• Watering, Feeding: Keep damp during growth period and apply low doses of fertilizer weekly until August.
  
• Further Care: Trim plants now and then to promote branching.
  
• Pests, Diseases: Aphids, whiteflies, mites, slugs.
• Decorating Tip: These plants can be mixed with other container plants, such as ivy, to create a beautiful effect.
  

The above information and much more can be found in the very useful book, Container Plants: For Patios, Balconies, and Window Boxes.

Cooking Outdoors In Small Yards

If, like me, you live in a small apartment or condominium, there are certain foods that you avoid cooking, not because you don't like them, but because the smell of cooked food lingers for days after the meal has ended. We all know those foods - fish has to be the number one on my list of smelly foods, but Chinese and anything you saute that splashes fat in every direction, is up at the top of the list as well. I do cook these foods, but after scrubbing the kitchen from top to bottom afterwards, opening every window, turning on all the extractors and spraying air freshener, it kind of puts me off the next fish meal. So I was really excited by my recent purchase which means I can cook everything outside on my patio.

Like most people, we own a barbecue, and as I live in San Diego, you can cook outside almost all year round. The barbecue is fine for grilled food, but doesn't reach the high temperatures needed for meals such as stir-fries. Also, as my condo is small, my outside area is also small, so one of the super grills and stove-top combinations that you find in Sears and Barbecues Galore is simply too big. We did buy an outdoor wok at Lowe's but returned it because when we set it up on its tripod legs, it was enormous, resembling something out of War or the Worlds, and certainly not my idea of a garden feature! So after searching various barbecue stores with no luck, we finally thought that perhaps something used for camping would work, and went off to our local REI store. Sure enough we found this amazing 2-burner stove which is actually for tailgating and camping trips, but we could visualize how it would make cooking gourmet meals a snap on our patio.

The stove is Coleman's Fold N Go, 2 burner stove which cost $72.00 from REI, but I have seen it for less at Costco since then. All you need is a sturdy table to stand it on, and it has two burners that fold out flat and are fuelled by a small propane gas bottle, and you can cook any number of dishes in the same way that you would indoors. I am not sure about its simmering ability, but the heat is certainly there as it has two 20,000 BTUs in its two high performance burners and is very stable while you are cooking. When you have finished, you can simply wipe it down, fold it up and store it in a cupboard for next time. So look out neighbors, here come my curries!